Erosion protection mat

ABSTRACT

A tissue mat protecting against erosion comprising a water-pervious tissue layer provided with anchoring loops. The anchoring loops have the form of a yarn woven across the tissue and protruding from the surface of the tissue. It is possible to use a rugged yarn guaranteeing a satisfactory anchorage to this end. The anchoring loops of the tissue ensure that the mat penetrates into the ground and is thus anchored. It is also possible to anchor concrete blocks of means of the anchoring loops by pouring the concrete on the mat or by pressing it thereon.

The invention relates to a mat protecting against erosion comprising awater-pervious tissue layer provided with anchoring loops.

Such a tissue mat is known from European Patent Application No.80.200582.7. In this known mat the anchoring loop is provided by meansof so-called "tufting" after the mat has been woven. In the first placethis requires an additional operation and it is furthermore not possibleto use a very rigid yarn ensuring a satisfactory anchorage. Moreover,the tufted yarn is lying relatively loosely in the tissue so that alsofor this reason a less satisfactory anchorage is obtained.

The invention has for its object to obviate this disadvantage.

According to the invention this is achieved by shaping the anchoringloops in the form of a yarn woven across the tissue and protruding fromthe surface of the tissue. Since the anchoring yarn is provided as atissue yarn during the weaving operation, it is possible to use a ruggedyarn guaranteeing a satisfactory anchorage to this end, whilst noadditional operational run is required.

The mat may be employed for bank protection, talus protection and atother erosion-sensitive places. It is, of course, important for the matto reliably adhere to the subjacent ground. The anchoring loops of thetissue ensure that the mat penetrates into the ground and is thusanchored. If desirable, the mat may be covered with stones, blocks orthe like. When an anchoring mat having anchoring loops protruding onboth sides of the tissue surface is employed, the stones or blocksdeposited on the mat are satisfactorily retained. It is also possible toanchor concrete blocks by means of the anchoring loops by pouring theconcrete on the mat or by pressing it thereon. Since a large number ofloops is used and many loops are made from a single continuous yarn agiven resistance against lateral bending forces is produced so that anintimate adhesion between the tissue layer and the blocks is obtained.In the anchoring technique according to the invention the blocks can bepoured or pressed on the tissue.

The loops may be locally arranged at uniform intervals. The places ofthe loops are chosen in dependance on the desired places for the blocks.

The yarn is preferably a mono-thread yarn of polypropylene. Thismaterial very satisfactorily adheres to concrete. The height of the loopmay be 5 mms and the yarn diameter may be 0.25 mm.

The invention will be described with reference to the drawings

FIG. 1 shows a mat embodying the invention used for talus protection.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of part of the mat embodying the invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the tissue of the mat.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the tissue of the matembodying the invention.

The mat 1 comprises a tissue layer 2 and blocks 3, for example, concreteelements connected with said layer. The tissue layer 2 and the blocks 3are pervious to water. For the blocks 3 this is achieved by making ahole 4. The perviousness to sand is determined inter alia by thecomposition of the weft yarn serving as an anchoring means.

FIG. 4 shows that a continuous yarn 5, for example, of polypropene iswoven to form triangular loops protruding from the surface. Thecontinuous interwoven yarn 5 ensures a very satisfactory rigidity sothat during pouring or pressing of the blocks 3 the vertical position ismaintained. The loops of the yarn 5 are substantially triangular, thebasis of the triangle being located approximately in the plane of thetissue.

It should be noted that the interwoven yard is not a so-called tuftyarn.

What I claim is:
 1. An erosion-protecting mat comprising awater-pervious tissue layer having anchoring loops projecting outwardlyfrom at least one surface of the tissue, the anchoring loops beingintegral portions of a yarn woven across the tissue and periodicallyprotruding from said surface of the tissue.
 2. A mat as claimed in claim1 wherein the anchoring loops are anchored in concrete blocks.
 3. A matas claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the yarn is a mono-thread yarn.
 4. Amat as claimed in anyone of claims 1 or 2 wherein the yarn is made frompolypropene.
 5. A mat as claimed in anyone of claims 1 or 2 wherein theloops have a height of 5 mms and the yarn has a diameter of 0.25 mm. 6.A mat as claimed in anyone of claims 1 or 2 wherein the loops aretriangular and the basis of the triangle is located in the plane of thetissue.
 7. A mat as claimed in anyone of claims 1 or 2 wherein theanchoring loops protrude on both sides of the tissue.